In recent years, medical care has changed dramatically, from primarily using clinical laboratory analysis of samples to rapid point of care testing in the doctor's office or at the patient's bedside. Disposable enzyme biosensors are frequently used to perform these rapid tests. Taking glucose testing as an example, in-home testing by the patient is now commonplace and a necessity for proper disease management. To conduct an in-home test using a glucose biosensor, the diabetic patient lances the finger to withdraw a small amount of blood. The patient applies the blood to the biosensor test strip and the meter accompanying the biosensor records electrical data from the biosensor and calculates the glucose concentration in the patient's blood within a few seconds. This information is used to make decisions about when and how much insulin to be used.
Various types of biosensors utilizing a specific catalysis of an enzyme have been developed. Recently mostly biosensor utilizes an electrochemical method, such as meter for measuring glucose. Usually a biosensor comprises an anode electrode and a cathode electrode formed on an insulating substrate in the electrochemical method, and the reaction layer is formed on the electrodes. When a sample is disposed into the biosensor, the target substance of the sample will make redox reactions in enzyme catalysis. Oxygen carriers or mediators are reduced. The reduced oxygen carriers or the reduced mediators are oxidized due to the electrode potential, releasing electrons and lead to change in the electron. That is the electrochemical method to detection the concentration of the substances in the sample indirectly through such electronic changes. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,120,420 and 5,320,732 to Nankai, U.S. Pat. No. 5,141,868 to Shanks disclose disposable glucose biosensors. These biosensors are constructed of two plastic layers laminated to spacers and thereby held together. This structure forms a vented capillary channel that draws an applied sample into the interior and onto a test area. When the sample flows into the channel by capillary flow, the sample comes into contact with an enzyme layer and electrodes, which detect and optionally measure an analyte in the sample.
For other example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,192,415 discloses a biosensor comprising a working electrode and a counter electrode which are formed on the insulating substrate, a reaction provided on the electrodes. Quantifying a substrate contained in a sample liquid using a reaction of the substrate to enzyme in the electrode system, such as glucose concentration of the blood sample. But when the sample is not enough, test procedure is still carried out. Therefore, the sample often can not completely cover the working electrode resulting in the inaccurate test results. In order to overcome the disadvantage, U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,697 disclosed a third electrode for detecting whether the sample is enough. U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,697 disclosed the third electrode is disposed farther from a sample introducing port than the working electrode and the counter electrode. The current is measured when the sample reaches the third electrode, indicating the sample has completely covered the working electrode and the count electrode. At this time, measuring the concentration of analytes in the sample will be started. Otherwise, a warning of the sample not enough will be showed.
However, the distance of the third electrode in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,697 is particularly important. If the third electrode is too close, the flow front behavior of the added sample will present not a line for the capillary action during the sample flow into the biosensor. If when the flow front behavior becomes a concave or a convex, the phenomenon could occur that the test will be started when the sample arrive the third electrode but the sample does not completely cover the working electrode. If the third is designed too far distance, that could ensure the sample completely covering the working electrode, but this design requires more samples, for example, it will need more blood sample from patient that will result in more pain for patient.